Category: Recipes

I have to admit, I am not one for sweets. I really prefer salty snacks over baked sweets or ice cream treats , but the other day I found myself rummaging through my kitchen freezer and came across half a bag of frozen blueberries, half a bag of frozen strawberries and half a container of vanilla frozen yogurt.

I knew these ingredients had potential for some deliciousness, but upon doing a little research, I came across one of the most simplest, most appealing recipes to use them up and the result was the easiest and most delicious desserts I have ever made.

And as you might have guessed it…my brood ate it up with no complaints.

I have received a few emails regarding my breakfast sandwiches, so I thought I would share with you my ingredient list and process for this super easy, money saver.

Just by comparing a couple of lower priced store alternatives, compared to making these breakfast sandwiches at home, you can save quite a bit of money and make yourself a hearty, healthy start to any day.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, open and spread out bagels to ensure even toasting.

Toast bagels in oven 7 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. (You don’t want a dark toast on these, just a very light toast) Set aside and let cool.

Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet, over medium heat, you want to cook your eggs. Lightly salt and pepper your eggs while in the pan and cook to desired consistency. Set aside and let cool.

Add 1 slice of deli ham to each piece of bagel until each piece is covered.

Add 1 slice of cheese to one ½ of each sandwich and then add 1 egg to other half.

Close sandwich, wrap individually and store in fridge up to a week or freezer for up to 3 months.

Reheat in microwave 20 to 30 seconds.

Lower calorie option

Swap out regular bagels for thinly sliced bagels or low calorie English muffins.

Use egg whites (make sure you save your yolks in fridge or freezer for future use).

Use only ½ a processed cheese slice per sandwich.

By The Fort Worth Homemaker

beta

calories

643

fat

26g

protein

40g

carbs

60g

more

The Fort Worth Homemaker http://thefortworthhomemaker.com/

** A few notes:

As for the bread component for these sandwiches, you can use whatever you like, bagels, English muffins, rolls, sandwich buns, Texas toast, etc… I don’t recommend thinly sliced sandwich bread as it tends to break easily and just makes a mess.

This goes for your meat option as well, ham slices are the cheapest, however, you can easily swap it out for bacon or sausage.

When it comes to cooking the eggs; personally, when eating fried eggs, I enjoy a runny yolk, but that really tends to get messy when eating this sandwich so I recommend breaking your yolks during the cooking process or cooking them to over hard.

When choosing cheese slices for your sandwiches; I would not generally recommend processed cheese slices for many recipes, unlike real cheese, but the processed stuff seems to melt the best giving you a nice creamy flavor and texture.

Finally, if you choose to freeze your breakfast sandwiches, I highly recommend that a night or two before eating, you thaw what you need in the fridge. I have tried to reheat these sandwiches straight from the freezer and it takes almost 2 minutes, thereby; re-cooking some of the components and it makes the flavor and texture of the sandwich less than desirable.

***EXTRA NOTE:

If you are watching your calories, like me, simply swap out regular bagels for thinly sliced bagels or low calorie English muffins.

Use egg whites (make sure you save your yolks in fridge or freezer for future use).

Growing up, I was finally introduced to this New England menu staple quite some time after my family had moved from New York to Massachusetts, however, it did not take long for it to become one of my mom’s most popular dishes. I am happy to say that, this classic dish remains popular with my own crew as they ask for it often.

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds of potatoes, boiled and drained

¾ cup of milk

¼ cup margarine

1 teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of pepper

½ tablespoon garlic powder

1 pound ground turkey or beef

½ cup onion, diced

1-14 ounce can of creamed corn

1-12 ounce bag of frozen corn

Directions:

1. In a large, non-stick skillet, add diced onion and saute on medium to high heat until translucent, about 3 minutes.

2. Add turkey or beef to onions and cook until browned. Use a fork to mash occasionally, to help the meat crumble and incorporate the onions.

3. Turn off heat and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, add potatoes, and then break up potatoes with a potato masher until well smashed.

5. Add margarine, milk, salt, pepper and garlic powder to potatoes and stir until well combined and the margarine has melted.

In our house, we have never met a potato we did not like. While baked and mashed are a huge hit with my crew, whenever I make roasted potatoes, there is never a crumb left. I am sharing with you, one of my family’s favorite roasted potato recipes; give it a try sometime, I am sure it will become one of your family’s favorites as well!

Ingredients:

2 pounds potatoes, cubed into 1” pieces

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt

½ tablespoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Under cool running water, scrub and clean potatoes. Pat dry and dice into 1” (or close as you can) pieces and place in large bowl.

3. Add olive oil, salt, pepper and toss until well combined . You are just looking for your potatoes to be lightly coated.

4. Add in chopped rosemary and cheese and toss again until well coated.

5. Spread potatoes in a single layer on a foil lined sheet pan (this makes for an easy clean up) that has been sprayed with non-stick coating.

6. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until desired crispness has been achieved.

By Liz
This is the easiest strawberry dip you will ever make and is wonderful to serve during strawberry season.

There is no shortage of summer seasonal produce in New England, and when I lived there, every summer I would take the kids strawberry picking at one of the local farms. Needless to say, we would wind up with an abundance of strawberries.

Even after making several containers of strawberry freezer jam, strawberry muffins, strawberry shortcakes, strawberry pancakes, it always seemed like we would barely put a dent in this wonderful, summer fruit and I would have to eventually throw out this summer splendor.

Then I came up with this recipe when I was hosting one of my kid’s birthday parties at the house and thankfully, it was a huge hit with kids and adults and just like that…the rest of my strawberries disappeared.

Don’t be fooled by the name though, you could use this dip with any berry: raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, or any combination of those mentioned.

3. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium to high heat.

4. Add cauliflower and saute until edges are slightly browned on all sides, stirring occasionally, about 15 to 20 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender (if cauliflower starts to stick to pan add ½ teaspoon of water to loosen it up).

5. Add lemon wedges and salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally to let the juices and oils release from the lemons.

Add cauliflower and saute until edges are slightly browned on all sides, stirring occasionally, about 15 to 20 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender (if cauliflower starts to stick to pan add ½ teaspoon of water to loosen it up).

Add lemon wedges and salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally to let the juices and oils release from the lemons.

This hearty and delicious recipe is packed with vibrant flavors and is a great way to sneak vegetables in if you have picky eaters.

Not only is this meal great for those cold chilly days, but it is also great for the summer when you’re cooking for a crowd and don’t want to heat your kitchen up by turning on the oven.

This is one of those great meals you can assemble in the morning and don’t have to touch until it is time to be served and on busy days…who doesn’t love that?

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds pork roast or tenderloin

1 large onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

3 ribs of celery, rinsed and chopped

1 medium bell pepper, chopped

4 -5 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

3 cups spaghetti sauce

Directions:

1. Spray a 6 quart slow cooker with non-stick spray.

2. Rough cut all the vegetables into bite size pieces and place on the bottom of the slow cooker add seasonings.

3. Add pork roast on top of the bed of vegetables add an additional sprinkle of salt and pepper over the pork.

4. Pour spaghetti sauce over pork and vegetables (do not stir).

5. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

6. Remove pork and break pork into bite size pieces or shred; then add back to pot and stir.

7. Serve hot, over desired cooked pasta or over bread.

This is a favorite in our house and even though we have a large family, believe it or not, we always have leftovers with this hearty meal and no one seems to mind having it for lunch the following day. So the next time you are looking for a crowd pleasing, satisfying easy dish to make, give this one a try and enjoy the recipe card below.

Hearty Rustic Pork Ragu

2017-06-12 05:46:40

Serves 8

A crowd pleasing, hearty, delicious and thrifty dinner for anytime of the year.

So what to do with all of those strawberries this summer? Here is a decadent recipe if you will be entertaining (recipe can easily scaled for more than 2 people) or if you just want a nice, uncomplicated dessert for the just the two of you.

*Please note, this recipe is not recommended for anyone under the age of 21.

3. While chilling prepare the whip cream. Pour the cream into a well-chilled bowl and add the sugar and vanilla. Using an electric hand mixer or balloon whisk beat the cream to the desired consistency.

4. When ready to serve, using slotted spoon to retrieve strawberries, spoon an even amount into 2 cups, bowls or glasses. Top with approximately 2 tablespoons of whip cream on top of each and garnish with fresh lemon or orange zest.

* Note: the key to really good whip cream that holds its consistency is that it needs to be really cold. I highly recommend pre chilling the bowl you will be using to whip it in and make sure the cream has been sufficiently chilled.

While chilling prepare the whip cream. Pour the cream into a well-chilled bowl and add the sugar and vanilla. Using an electric hand mixer or balloon whisk beat the cream to the desired consistency.

When ready to serve, using slotted spoon to retrieve strawberries, spoon an even amount into 2 cups, bowls or glasses. Top with approximately 2 tablespoons of whip cream on top of each and garnish with fresh lemon or orange zest.

I have to admit, it took me awhile to get on board with the quinoa craze. Unfortunately when it first hit the scene many of the brands that were offering this healthy grain up to the masses had very crude or rustic packaging and every time I would look at a bag in the store, I would just immediately feel like millennial hippies were trying to pass off dirt as a food source.

The first time I tried it, I had followed the directions on the package. I did not add anything to it, as I wanted to have a discernible base. To my surprise, I enjoyed the texture, it was very close to couscous and the even though, somewhat unappealing without flavoring, the quinoa was light and neutral enough that I knew it would easily take on the flavors of any other ingredients I would add, very similar to cooking rice.

On a side note, like rice, the grain expands, so if you have leftovers, this grain can easily be frozen.

Here is my recipe for a savory quinoa, which can be served as a side dish as is or sprinkled with your favorite cheese, added to soup or used to make a lunch or dinner bowl by adding some veggies, beans, avocados, grilled chicken, etc…

This article is really a miscellaneous article for me, because, let’s face it…it’s peanut butter and jelly, who doesn’t know how to make this age old, beloved sandwich?

I had recently gathered one evening with a group at my church that gets together once a month to make sandwiches for a local homeless shelter. I watched this well oiled machine of about 20 people make up almost a five hundred sandwiches in about 20 minutes. One of the sandwiches they make is PB &J, I noticed however, they were not making this simple sandwich correctly.

When I came home that evening I happened to be watching the news and during one of the breaks was a commercial for a kitchen design store…I think, and the well, cinematographed ad depicted a girl in this beautiful kitchen making a PB &J sandwich for her mother. As the camera looked down on her making the sandwich, I noticed again, it was being made incorrectly.

This may sound like rantings of a crazy woman, who has nothing better to do with her time than obsess over how one makes a PB &J sandwich, but in today’s world of “foodies” and endless streams of reality cooking shows, I figure the least society can do is learn to make a proper Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich.

2. Take 1 clean butter knife and scoop out about 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and spread on one slice of bread. Repeat with other slice of bread. (This creates a barrier so the jelly won’t soak through the bread, making your sandwich really soggy, really quickly).

3. Take the other clean knife and scoop out about 1 tablespoon of jelly and spread on which ever slice of bread you desire.

4. Close sandwich by marrying the condiment sides together.

5. Eat, and enjoy this childhood favorite!

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen; Peanut Butter and Jelly Proper.

*Just a side note to my New England peeps…the same application is to be applied to a Fluffernutter sandwich as well. Just replace Marshmallow Fluff for the jelly.